Flying Attire

How Do You Dress To Fly?

  • Casual

    Votes: 55 67.1%

  • Semi-Casual

    Votes: 20 24.4%

  • Formal

    Votes: 2 2.4%

  • N/A-Uniform

    Votes: 5 6.1%

  • Other

    Votes: 5 6.1%
  • Total voters
    82
Fearless Tower said:
This.

Probably the most important consideration in what to wear while flying (at least flying anything powered). Whether I am flying myself, or riding an aluminum tube, the number one priority in apparel is keeping synthetic material to an absolute minimum. I don't wear Nomex that often, but I also really don't like wrapping my body in a 100% synthetic fleece jacket either.

One of the saddest things I have seen was a photo of Amanda Franklin on the cover of an aviation magazine after she passed away last year. The first thing that caught my eye was the Under Armour logo on her wing-walker suit. FWIW, while alot of ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were really digging them, Under Armour t-shirts were banned from shipboard use in the Navy because they are 100 percent synthetic and will melt to your body when exposed to fire. Seeing that photo of Amanda and knowing that she succumbed to serious post-crash burns, I couldn't help but think she might still be with us today if she wasn't wearing that suit.

And before somebody jumps on me, that wasn't a slam on Kyle or Amanda. I only point that out as food for thought for those who do choose to wear synthetics while flying.
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I never thought of this. Now I have to go shopping. Jeans are cotton / denim (some have 1% Lycra). Shoes are canvas, suede, leather, or sometimes synthetic. But I'm sure if I looked at my turtlenecks etc they are 100% fake stuff. Darn.
 
If it was my choice I would wear the most comfortable and casual clothes I could but it's not my choice so I don't.

I sometimes have the problem of over or underdressing because our flights tend to be more north/south than east/west. Nothing like leaving in a snowstorm and ending up where it's 80F or vice versa.
 
Ditto on both the synthetics issue, and not putting anything you'll need anywhwere but on your body.

You guys who fly those claustrophobic enclosed aircraft have more choices. I need closed shoes, denim jeans, and a jacket that will at least give me a chance against a bee!
 

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kimberlyanne546 said:
I never thought of this. Now I have to go shopping. Jeans are cotton / denim (some have 1% Lycra). Shoes are canvas, suede, leather, or sometimes synthetic. But I'm sure if I looked at my turtlenecks etc they are 100% fake stuff. Darn.
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When I was in the Navy, they showed up pictures of the helo pilot who wore a polyester turtleneck sweater under his flight suit in the winter. Then one day the engine came apart just after lifting into a hover, and the helo fell back to earth -- hard. A flash fire ensued behind him. His helmet, Nomex flight suit and gloves, and leather flight boots protected most of him, but the turtleneck was exposed and melted to his neck. Now he always wears a turtleneck, but not just to stay warm.

And I have a nice collection of 100% cotton turtlenecks for winter wear under my 100% cotton flannel shirts under my military issue Nomex winter-weight flight jacket.

PS: A big "thank you" to all you taxpayers for the jacket.:)
 
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Do we get a "how many stripes do you have on your epaulettes" poll?
 
Yeah, my winter "flight suit" is cotton turtleneck, wool sweater, denim pants. I keep a synthetic jacket behind me depending on time of year, never on. It would be too hot anyway.

I have to admit, in the east in summer, I can be seen wearing shorts, polo shirt and sandals (Keen or Teva) to fly.
 
Awww yeah....

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I'm in jeans and polo shirts just about 100% of the time. Closed-toed shoes.

Layers, jackets, etc if it's rediculousky cold. Think I was up to four layers in Nebraska in December at night, including the parka. Not sure if Jesse ever saw a polo shirt under all that. Maybe at breakfast.

I trend toward the "dress for egress" too, so there's always a jacket somewhere nearby but I don't get too crazed about it except in the mountains.

Up there, there's survival gear on board. Period. But...

Part of that survival gear is the arsenal of stuff with which I will set large quantities of National Forest on fire with in order to be found, if I am ambulatory enough.

I'm not going to play wilderness-survival-tough-guy-who-drinks-his-own-urine... Setting a tree or ten-thousand of them on fire, gets attention.

Faster than a typical SAR mission even gets launched, too.

Bonus: Even the worst CAP crew can spot a burning tree and its smoke from 1000' AGL.

T-shirts and shorts around the house, yard, and hangar if making a mess.

Cotton most of the time anyway but agree about plastic clothes being bad juju in fires. Sometimes I'll wear one of those nice EAA sports shirts that's synthetic and just run the risk of melting the EAA logo to myself permanently.

Can suit up when required.
Or Uniform up.
And pull it off. ;)
 
When I voted, I assumed you meant flying GA. But your opening post made me wonder if you meant flying commercial. I dress better when flying commercial than when in my 172.
 
I guess I would say 'business causual'. This is adjusted for the weather. In the winter, I may wear my parka.
Being an old guy, I still think one should present him/herself well, as our image affects peoples perception of general aviation.
I think, today, too many people look like slobs, IMHO.
 
"Business casual" when instructing (Chinos, collared shirt or polo when warm).

Old flight suit sometimes in the Chief -- lots of packets, but no belts etc to grab when climbing in or out (belt loop on jeans did that too me once).

Baseball hat almost always.

Jacket when it's rally cold. I carried a hunting knife and small survival kit when flying over WV. Over Lancaster County, always walking distance of shelter.
 
Wore my uniform flying today:
Black polo, oil stained jeans and steel toes!
 
Fearless Tower said:
This.

Probably the most important consideration in what to wear while flying (at least flying anything powered). Whether I am flying myself, or riding an aluminum tube, the number one priority in apparel is keeping synthetic material to an absolute minimum. I don't wear Nomex that often, but I also really don't like wrapping my body in a 100% synthetic fleece jacket either.

One of the saddest things I have seen was a photo of Amanda Franklin on the cover of an aviation magazine after she passed away last year. The first thing that caught my eye was the Under Armour logo on her wing-walker suit. FWIW, while alot of ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were really digging them, Under Armour t-shirts were banned from shipboard use in the Navy because they are 100 percent synthetic and will melt to your body when exposed to fire. Seeing that photo of Amanda and knowing that she succumbed to serious post-crash burns, I couldn't help but think she might still be with us today if she wasn't wearing that suit.

And before somebody jumps on me, that wasn't a slam on Kyle or Amanda. I only point that out as food for thought for those who do choose to wear synthetics while flying.
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Thanks for posting that! Had I not been thinking, it is entirely possible that on a winter flight I might have donned my UnderArmour long johns to keep the legs warm. And, now that I think about it, how do people deal with the elastic waistband of almost all underwear, male or female? And I think about bras, and I can't think that there are many that aren't synthetic! An argument for "bra burning?" (pun intended) :)
 
DavidWhite said:
Hope Lynn and Kim don't mind me posting their pictures, but here I am at October Gastons (On the right)

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And 6Y9. It was like 40 degrees and rainy when they took that picture.
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David, that looks a lot more like a Phil than a Kim or a Diana in the first picture. And yes, I remember the weather that Labor Day Weekend. It was brutal! Glad we drove, though wish we could have flown. BTW, the car we drove up in now has a quarter million miles on it, mostly as a result of that trip! :D
 
I meant who took the pictures. The first picture is Chris and Dave if we are going by who's in it :D
 
DavidWhite said:
I meant who took the pictures. The first picture is Chris and Dave if we are going by who's in it :D
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Chris. Embarrassing myself. He looks familiar, but "Chris" doesn't ring a bell. Though, I admit, he really doesn't look like Kim's husband Phil, though he looks more like Phil than he looks like Diana's husband Tom! Is that convoluted enough for you? LOL!
 
I usually wear whatever I wear to work. Which is business casual. It's always easy to get dressed when I'm going to the airport after work (dark pants, dark top - just in case oil or airplane parts get on my clothes no one will notice) I made the mistake of wearing my good tan pants to the airport...yeah their the pants I can wear to work on the airplane pants now. <sigh>

I've tried flying with heels on and it is different - I prefer tennis shoes. Shorts *would* be nice to wear but we have plastic seats and in the heat they get warm.
 
I had a passenger recently who said she took her first flying lesson in the same boots with heels that she got into my plane with.

And besides Mari, that was my only female passenger!
 
kimberlyanne546 said:
I had a passenger recently who said she took her first flying lesson in the same boots with heels that she got into my plane with.

And besides Mari, that was my only female passenger!
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There is a CFI with the flying club at MYF that always wears heals when flying.
 
I only have one wardrobe. I wear business casual to work, play, and fly.
 
When flying for work: Polo and a pair of khakies (spelling?)
When flying for pleasure: Whatever I damnwell please :)
 
Fearless Tower said:
FWIW, while alot of ground troops in Iraq and Afghanistan were really digging them, Under Armour t-shirts were banned from shipboard use in the Navy because they are 100 percent synthetic and will melt to your body when exposed to fire.
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While I know not everyone is buying them, I will point out that UnderArmour now has an antire line of FR clothes that are extremely comfortable, albeit pricey. I don't own any of it myself, but a coworker recently purchased a lot of it and he loves it.

As for me, I echo the "no synthetics" rule. Nylon and polyester seem to be the biggest culprits here.

For work (helicopter crew chief) I wear either a two-piece Nomex flight suit or some combination of wool, cotton and Nomex, depending on temperature, as well as a pair of FR (or, at a minimum, flight-rated) boots. I always wear Nomex flight gloves for work flying.

For personal flying (I'm still a PP student) I just stick to cotton and wool products. If it's cold, I wear a Massif (www.massif.com) FR jacket, which is also extremely comfortable, I like it better than any other fleece I've tried. Again, very pricey, but work paid for it.
 
darrell said:
For work (helicopter crew chief) I wear either a two-piece Nomex flight suit or some combination of wool, cotton and Nomex, depending on temperature, as well as a pair of FR (or, at a minimum, flight-rated) boots. I always wear Nomex flight gloves for work flying.
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Yeah but we all know helicopters are death traps. ;) ;) ;) :) :) :)

Heck they don't even file flight plans or attempt to take off from hypothetical treadmills! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
 
denverpilot said:
Yeah but we all know helicopters are death traps. ;) ;) ;) :) :) :)

Heck they don't even file flight plans or attempt to take off from hypothetical treadmills! ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)
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Thing I always come back to is this....if helicopters are so safe, then why don't you ever see vintage helicopter fly-ins???


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Whatever is appropriate for the weather/terrain I'm to be flying in/over. And a complete survival kit in a backpack hung on my seat back. The contents vary seasonally of course.
 
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